Main menu

Category Archives: Uncategorized

Post navigation

I fell off the wagon for a while and by a while I mean since October. November through January 1st is always a super busy time for me as I’m sure it is for everyone. I did so much over the holidays that I really don’t even feel like writing about it all. To sum up Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years this is what I’ll show you.

LOTS OF FAMILY TIME. In fact, almost TOO much family time.

Cousins and my sister.

My ever so stylish grams.

The good times before Taylor was born. KIDDING, she was in the bathroom.

Cutting down our tree per tradition.

Alot of this.

And of course I worked out….NOT

My workout.

ANYWHO, 2014 was a monumental year for me. I became completely independent, moved to a new city, started a big girl job with a hoity toity company, hated said job, quit said job. Fell off the face of the earth for a bit, did some soul searching and now I’M BACK.
I didn’t really make any unrealistic goals for this year that I know I won’t stick to because I really don’t like those people. “I’m going to workout SO MUCH!!” …said every girl. This year I just decided that I would TRY to have more patience and also to accept the fact that some people are truly just stupid and ignorant. With that I’m going to try and keep sarcastic comments to myself and just find a silver lining in things. Lord knows I won’t be perfect because I swear they left the patient gene out of me when I was born and well, the world is filled with idiots. So here’s to that! I’m truly hoping that this will be a good year. I don’t need anything huge to happen I just want to relax and not have so much stress. Easier said than done but one can always hope!

Because in my little town, in the past couple years it’s been such a problem we’re starting to be known for it.
I’ve seen people I know put in jail for it.
I’ve seen people struggle with it day in and day out.
I’ve known people killed by it.
I’ve seen families torn apart by it.Because I’ve seen people beat it.

I’m mostly writing this post in honor of my second “brother” who has struggled with addiction for years and years. If you would’ve known him you probably would’ve thought he’d wind up dead or in jail for good. Guess what? HE BEAT IT. If you know someone who’s struggled from alcohol and drug addiction then you know how big of a deal this is. You feel so proud and so thankful that somehow they dug themselves out of that hole and truly wanted better for themselves. I am SO proud to say he graduated from his drug court program. Please take the time to read this article.

Sadly, these kind of things don’t always have a happy ending, most times they don’t. A middle school friend of mine had a brother with a truly deep problem. Unfortunately for him he wasn’t able to overcome this demon. His family just recently wrote this touching article about how it effects people and a little background on the story. If you’re interested in this you can read that one here. The hardest part about this one is I know more than one effected by it. Of course this family lost their son, brother, grandchild but there is also the case of the family who’s son sold this heroin to Mark. This man happens to be one of my very good friends, boyfriend. THREE YEARS after the incident they decided to press charges and a young man is serving over 5 years in jail for selling. In no way to I condone the selling of drugs but I can also tell you this, Mike wasn’t a bad guy and of course Mike didn’t intend for someone to die. It’s where the justice system gets hard. Charging a man for negligent homicide and unintended homicide sounds so hard, especially since it was Marks choice to take those drugs but you also need to know if you’re dealing, ANYONE can wind up dead from those drugs. In this case I feel like nobody won. I always continue to pray for all those involved.

Addiction is scary. It can change a person completely. It can also be in someone that you never would even suspect. It hides, it manipulates, but make no mistake, it kills. Educate yourself, learn the signs, help someone if they aren’t helping themselves.

I always urge anyone I know struggling with anything like this to seek help. It may seem like something you’ll never overcome but if you have the drive then you can do it.

I think it’s important for people to see that there is hope that’s why I included such a happy story but also there are many other ways it can turn out too. Never let it be too late.

What are your stories?
Do you think there is anything we as a society can do to help this?

Where we’re known for one of the best medical facilities. I won’t go on about this one because my experience is so-so. But it is really big.

I always forget about this wonderful accomplishment my hometown has.
When asked at work to state a fun fact about my hometown I always have to say “umm we have the world’s largest round barn…” Ya, people laugh. BUT WE DO. This is it. It’s bigger in person.

And with snow since this is half the years weather.

Add it to your bucket list, folks!

BUT THIS FACT IS EVEN BETTER….

Every year the Washington Post publishes a ranking of top high schools in Wisconsin. I’m proud to say this year we are #2 in the state! We have taken first place in 2011 (my graduation year) as well as 2013 and then second in 2012 and 2014. We are always back and forth between two high schools in Milwaukee who are this year, number one, and number three.
Overall in the nation we are #364 which seems bad but in reality for as small as we are, that’s pretty damn good.

It even lights up. Go Tigers!

Our school takes these rankings pretty serious. We have about 29 AP classes to offer and we’re constantly pushed to take them. “Take AP classes” they said…”They’ll be fun”…they said. AP classes are not so much fun. My junior year I decided to tackle AP American Literature, the only one of which I got a solid A in. AP Economics, which all I pretty much perfected was making good graphs, honestly I learned nothing and pulled off a B+. AP Spanish, no me gusta espanol…I was more than happy for that C-. AP Physics (DO NOT DO THIS TO YOURSELF), and AP Gov where I pretty much learned how messed up our country is. I also took an AP computer class which was so easy and stupid it was almost comical so I don’t even count that A.
In the long run, and I mean REALLY long run I was thankful for these classes. I can’t tell you how many nights I cried to my mom about AP Physics and told her I was dropping out and just finding a sugar daddy. Physics ruined my life. Math is awful enough, add science and it’s my living nightmare. I truly had to work hard for my grades in high school. Unlike my sister who didn’t even have to open a book and could ace anything. She cried over a B. Studying pays off though because I was able to get a 25 on my ACT when my goal was a 23. Thank god I dominated the reading and English section because my math skills are not so hott. Although I didn’t do the traditional schooling I earned degrees in what I needed and am kicking butt lately.
We work/worked had at that school, students still continue to keep this ranking for us. Our educators are beyond wise. They’re compassionate, understanding, and strive for excellence. For a town of under 20,000 we do pretty damn good academically.

Honestly, I didn’t like high school. But this is an exciting accomplishment.

I just want to also note, I won the 4th grade spelling bee too.
K, Thanks.

So this isn’t by my standards and I’m going to pick it apart a little. I was reading on MSN Living and stumbled across the article titled “13 things a woman should never have in her apartment/home.” Some I agree with some I don’t, we’ll see what you think.

1. Excessive frills
I definitely agree with this one. Maybe it’s just more my personal taste however I hate frills. Too much pink, ruffles, or frills on anything drives me insane. Our name is not Elle Woods and we’re not in “Legally Blonde”. I seriously went crazy when she decorated her office area. Nobody wants to walk into your place and feel like barbie threw up.
2. Silk flower arrangements
Lololol these just remind me of my 94 year old grandma’s arrangements in her god awful apartment complex (bless her soul, RIP gma). THEY DO NOT LOOK REAL. You are fooling no one. This is pretty much just saying “everything I touch dies” and “don’t leave me in charge of anything living.” I feel like this is only ok under extenuating circumstances such as…well…I can’t even think of a good reason. You can let me know if you’ve got an excuse for having some.

3. Collage type photo frames

I definitely don’t agree with this one. I have frames all over the place! Apparently there reason states “you’re setting your date up to ask you “who’s the pretty blonde?” and it’s not you..” Meh whatevs, just means you’ve got pretty friends! I love me some picture frames!

4. Stuffed animals (especially on your bed)
Amen! I feel so weird when I walk into a grown woman’s bedroom and they have stuffed animals all over! I’ll admit I have an entire garbage bag full of them stashed away but they’re not in the open. The most I have is a blanket my grandma made me hanging on the side of my bed. WE’RE GROWN WOMEN NOW!

5. Inspiration quotes
Again, I don’t agree with this one. I love me a good inspirational kick in the morning. Reasons for this states “Inspirational quotes of any kind, especially in needlepoint, read as a cry for help under every circumstance.” Hahahaha. I have no needlepoint quotes so I’m in the clear and none of mine are too depressing so I’ll just agree to disagree with them on this.

7. Cosmetics everywhere
Either keep them in your bathroom or have a designated spot for this. Don’t have stuff everywhere. Nobody needs to know how much work you put into looking your best! A girl is entitled so some secrets!

8. Doll collections
No, never. Creepy to the extreme.

9. Family photos by the bed
This is one of my cardinal no no’s. Who wants their parents watching them while they’re making sweet, sweet love? Not me.

10. An abundance of pet pictures
Ok so maybe like twenty is excessive however Ollie has his personal frames throughout my apartment. I sometimes even talk to them. I may miss him just a little too much…

9/11
Where were you when the world stopped turning?
I was in class. I hardly had any idea what was going on. It wasn’t until I got home and saw how devasted my parents looked. They sat me down and explained it to me in child terms. I’ve gotta say, I wish I could’ve just kept it that way rather than learn the real, harsh truth of it all as I got older.

“We survive, it’s what we do.”

Just saying the date makes me cringe. I hate that about tragedy. No matter how much time passes the day is forever marked.
I especially feel bad for all the people with birthdays on this day. No matter what year they always have this event talked about on their day of celebration. That being said, how could we not talk about it? It’s a part of us. It’s a part of our history. It will be known by people who weren’t even alive for it. There’s no completely coming back from things like this. There will always be some reminder.
It’s been 13 years and we’re still rebuilding. Not just the monuments and buildings but also the people.
“I get knocked down, but I get up again. No they never gonna keep me down.”

“Cause our flag still stand for freedom and you can’t take that away.”

When I think about the events that happened and I sit here watching the 9/11 segments on tv I can’t help but cry. It’s an unfathomable event. I can’t even begin to understand how the people on those airlines or in the buildings must have felt. I can imagine the people that hadn’t prayed in years were doing so right then. The ones who jumped out from 80 story windows, what courage that must have taken. Either be buried under rumble or jump, either way they knew their fate. I probably would’ve chose the leap of faith as well if I absolutely knew I wasn’t going to make it. But then again, that’s the thing, I have NO idea what I truly would do in that situation because I can’t even begin to imagine being in a situation like that. Each and every one of them were heroes. From the firefighters to the ones who tried to take back control of United 93. Pure courage.

I’m especially reminded today of how thankful I am for what I have. How thankful I am for those who serve our country and help me feel safe. For those who go out of their way to put themselves in danger in order to protect us. Those as well are the true hero’s.

And also prayers for ALL the innocent lives lost. We in America, aren’t the only ones who suffered from this and I think sometimes people lose sight of the fact that innocent lives were lost because of this in other countries as well.

It’s all senseless violence. I wish the world didn’t have to be burdened with these things but it’s always going to be the harsh reality.

ALWAYS remember, America kicks ass. We will always make a comeback and everytime it will be stronger.
Watch out ISIS.

One final note, this day is also in remembrance of the death of a beautiful, Tina Franseen. The guy I was with for 4 years lost his mom to cancer on this day. To this family this is what they link 9/11 to above anything else. They are wonderful people and she gave birth to 5 amazing children before leaving this earth and would be so proud of them today. Even though most of you don’t know this family just say an extra prayer for them as well. The years may have passed since her death but the ache never fully goes away. I see that in all of their eyes. Especially since alot of them are getting married now or having children of their own.

Hug your family close, if you love someone, tell them, now. Life is too short to wait for tomorrow’s. You can never be too sure if you’re going to get a tomorrow. Always live in the moment.

Taylor Marie Capener,
I turned 3 years old and two days later you were born. I’m still glad mom refused to have you on my birthday. You know how I am about sharing… 😉
I can’t believe you’re done with your first week of COLLEGE. It just hasn’t hit me yet.

Sorry Tay, but you were an ugly baby.

I’m sorry for the times you were taken to the doctor because everyone thought you were mute. In reality you just never felt the need to talk because I answered all questions for you. Pretty sweet deal, right?! I really did mean well.
(Never fear guys, she DEFINITELY learned to talk… eventually.) Then I started wishing you hadn’t. Oh you drove me insane. It was a constant state of feeling like this….

I really did try to sell or you… sometimes even drown you in the bathtub. My efforts never worked. I was stuck with you. You did eventually get cuter, so I’m glad for your sake.♥

Although sisters, we could not be more opposite in looks. As we got older that became extremely noticeable. (I then found out later I was adopted.) JUST KIDDING GUYS. But seriously, you were a toe-head through and through I was the darkest brown you could get. You had stick straight hair all your life, I became a poodle. You have blue eyes, I have brown eyes. Not to mention you tower over me which I’ll always hate.

As we got older and went through the stages of our life, like learning to drive…

My first day of senior year, her first day freshman year!

Attending middle school and high school there were obviously numerous screaming matches. We fought ALL THE TIME. But the best thing about sisters is we had no choice but to work it out. We made it through 18 years under one roof together and managed NOT to kill eachother. Although I did think about it once or twice..
I’m so happy with how close we are now. Let’s face it, we never thought that day would come. Remember the numerous eye rolls we gave mom everytime she’d tell us “one day you’ll be thankful to have eachother and truly get along.”? Can’t believe she was actually right.

I’m so proud of you, Taylor Marie! You’re going to do such great things and I’m glad we’ll always have eachother. If there’s one thing I’m proud of for teaching you and setting the example of it’s that NO MATTER WHAT take no shit. It’s your life and you get to choose what you want. Never ever care what anyone says or thinks about you. In the end you’ll get to look back and smile because you proved them all wrong. You’re beautiful, smart, and driven. I can’t wait to see what you do.
I love you always,
Your big sister.

Let’s just all take this time to remember 5 years ago when Kanye West infamously interrupted Taylor Swifts speech. Seriously, I can’t believe it’s been 5 years already!! He was and still is one of the most arrogant stars I see and it’s ten times worse now that he’s married to Kim K. Lord help us all.

Speaking of T Swift, I’m indifferent on her outfit. I like the top half but not the bottom. She’s not longer country now if you haven’t heard and I think she may be trying just a tad too hard to grow out of her young, innocent, country phase. Also, her hair is adorable but I miss her curls. Loved her performing Shake it Off though. ITS SO DAMN CATCHY.

Next up..Wiz and Amber. WHY DOES SHE ALWAYS DRESS SO INSANE?! You’re a mama now woman, please show a little less!! I have yet to find an awards show where I liked either of their outfits.

Can’t believe I’m even saying this but I actually LIKE what Miley Cyrus is wearing. For those who can pull off the crop top look, kudos. I think this is the best and most normal she’s looked in a long time.

Adam Levine and Bheti Prinsloo, I will forever have a crush on him and not to sound mean but I just don’t find his new bride to be overly beautiful. I’m just not sure how I feel about these too or their outfits.

Demi Lovato looks great. She’s come a long way from her struggles with her body image and I think she’s rocking this dress. Plus, I’m a sucker for a red dress with a little va-voom.

Not sure if Kanye was in charge of picking this one out or she did so herself, either way it sucks. I can’t stand her and she just really doesn’t wear things that flatter her.

Katy Perry, WHY?!

Just so we can all take a stroll down memory lane here’s a comparison to when Britney and Justin came in matching denim outfits….LIKE 10+ years ago!

Ariana Grande, I seriously love her voice, I seriously dislike her outfit. It’s just too much. She could be so adorable and could rock anything with her body. This doesn’t do it for me.Ke$ha Kesha, I actually am ok with her choice. I like that she’s tried to tone it down a bit yet still adds her own touches to everything. A lot of people don’t like her but I always have.
Lucy Hale, I don’t hate it but I don’t love it. She’s another one that I think is gorgeous but doesn’t always pick the right styles for herself. Not sure if I dig her as a music star either. Pretty Little Liars all the way!!

Can we all just take in the fact that she’s 45. JLo is seriously hott.

I honestly think Nina Dobrev can do no wrong. I don’t know what it is but I find her insanely gorgeous! I actually really like the dress she chose as well!

Any fashions that you totally hated or loved?! There were quite a few others but these were just some that stuck out to me.

Let’s just all take a moment to appreciate that this did not have to be seen again this year….

Thanks to Miss Julia for her last post. That’s what inspired me to write this one. I got to thinking about the past and how many things could’ve turned out differently if certain things didn’t happen how they did. You know those “what if” questions and thoughts?

I potentially could have never existed if my father wouldn’t have had thyroid problems. He was drafted for the military but they didn’t take him because of that. Even though it’s a sucky problem to have I’m ever so grateful because he met my mom and had me! I don’t know if I’d be here had he gone off to fight in war.

If my dad’s first wife wouldn’t have cheated on him with her tennis instructor he never would’ve met my mom. I mean come on how cliche. My dad pays for you to have a private tennis instructor and you repay him by sleeping with him numerous times? Lady, this isn’t a Lifetime movie even though you did go psycho on my mom.

They have such a beautiful love.

If my amazing childhood dog hadn’t died when she did I never would’ve gotten the little ball of fur cuddled up next to me in bed right now. Even though I couldn’t stop crying for weeks and swore I would never love another dog like I loved Lexi again, I made it through and love Ollie just as much.

We got her when I was 6 and she died when I was 15.

My baby now♥

That night my mom and I fought like crazy because she didn’t want me to drive out to Joel’s because it was an insanely bad snow storm but I did it anyway.

Ya it wasn’t my smartest choice but I’m also glad it happened. Because of that I learned to value everything so much more. Time is precious and there are WAY too many people who’s lives are cut way too short. I’m sure anyone who’s life was cut short was shaking their heads at me from heaven on this night. Be more careful with the time you are given. Why I was spared and others aren’t in this situation still baffles me but it looks like my job on Earth wasn’t finished yet. That saying people use “I saw my life flash before my eyes.” is so true. Except I didn’t see things in the past, I thought about everything I didn’t get to do. Well that and I heard Carrie Underwoods voice going “JESUS TAKE THE WHEEEEL. TAKE IT FROM MY HANDS!!” No joke that song sends chills up my spine everytime I hear it. Although my baby (meaning car, not an actual human baby) didn’t make it through this, I did. It was a good lesson learned. Listening to your mama is also a wise choice. They usually know best. After her shock wore off and I was fully recovered she gave me the very well deserved “I told you.” But she also blamed herself for giving into my bitch fit and letting me go. This was not in any way her fault. I was a love crazed teenager with a license for only 6 months. Not even that snow storm could’ve stopped me…until it did coming home from his house, obviously.

If I would’ve never let Joel into my life I’d be alot more trusting, sane, happy, open hearted, and I would’ve passed Spanish. BUT I did and I learned what real love feels like and had some of the happiest times I’ll probably ever have in my life. 4 years of my life was with him and I wouldn’t trade a day of it. Even the ones where I was crying so hard that I couldn’t breathe. He has been one of my best lessons in life. Now I know what I want and what I don’t want in a relationship. Plus I was never good at Spanish anyways.

Thank you.

If it weren’t working for the god awful Biggby Coffee in my hometown I never would’ve met my best friend in the entire world, Carrie Lippert. We HATED that job and our boss was an obese pig but we made the best of it. Especially when it was just us two on shifts 🙂 I thank God almost daily for that awful job. I couldn’t get through life without this woman.

These are just some of the moments that could’ve turned out so differently. Just by doing one simple thing differently or a minute later could change the outcome of something even bigger. Don’t look at things like regrets. I never regret anything. Any mistakes you make are just lessons to add to your book. Trust me, my book is already quite large. But that’s life, and I’m learning. Moments happen, literally everyday. Take the time to slow down and realize them. Never take anything for granted. Anytime you’re feeling down about something that has happened just try to find a lesson in it. It’s called the silver lining. If you can find that in even the most difficult of times and situations then you will live a better and happier life. That is something I’m sure of.

What if I wasn’t picked on by girls all throughout my years in school? Sure I probably wouldn’t have come home crying as much as I did but I also would’ve never become the strong, independent, take no shit, woman that I am today. All those girls did for me was make me a better person. And the best part is I’m doing better then them all now. Karma finds it way sooner or later. So this is my middle finger to all you Amy Krogman’s of the world. Sorry you felt so insecure that you needed to bring other people down. But thank you for showing me how good and strong of a person I am.

“Regrets and mistakes they are memories made.” – Thank you Adele for that one and how I will always think of Joel during that song. But again, it was a lesson learned.

How often do you think “what if?”How do you feel about the word regret?

I’ve had this sitting as a draft for about a week now. It was half finished so there’s no better time than now to do so! Especially with how much I’ve been slacking at this blog thing!

Take a moment. What is the first thing you think when you see this picture? (Besides the fact that this is over a year old and I look like a baby.)
.
.
.
.
.
.
I bet it’s not “Hey that’s a gay couple with Olivia!” Well it is! On the left is my Uncle Rick. My grandparents only son. It took him until he was 35 to come out. How sad is that? It’s not like we didn’t have our suspicions due to the fact that he never had a girlfriends but hey maybe he just wasn’t the dating type. I hate when people say “well he doesn’t look gay”. No he doesn’t. But does gay really have a look? Not necessarily. The man on my right has been my uncles partner for the last 5 years. Up until they’re recent breakup. Guess what guys, EVERYONE, straight, gay, or bi, they ALL have relationship troubles. Mulitply theirs times 100 due to the fact that they’re gay.
I love my uncle. We have the best conversations. He lives in Phoenix and is a hott shot CEO and VP of a worldwide insurance company. He literally lives the good life. Here’s our conversation the other day. Seriously how can you not love it?!

And here he is with my lesbian cousin, Jess. My family is so colorful I just love it!

Well the reason for this post is I’m SO happy to say that my home state of Wisconsin has finally gotten their heads out of their ass and legalized the marriage of gays!

Even if I didn’t have members of my family that were gay I’d still be a backer 100%. Who am I to say who you can and can’t love? People who think they can help that are insane. None of them chose to be that way. Why would they with such a hateful society? No matter what love is love. And I’m thrilled to be part of a state that is allowing them to marry now. It brings tears to my eyes to see how happy this has made some people.

My favorite cut off.

It saddens me deeply that there are still some people too afraid to come out. It makes me sad that my uncle was treated differently at work after coming out, that some people get kicked out of their families for loving the same sex. It wasn’t easy for my grandpa to hear that his only son that he raised was gay but at the end of the day after he let it all sink he realized it’s still the same son he raised and he couldn’t be more proud. That is why I love my family. I wish that everyone could see that way. And trust me, for my grandparents to be so accepting and loving of this was hard because they are die hard Catholics. At the end of the day though, family was above even that.
This law has passed now and still there are some court houses in Wisconsin refusing to marry same sex couples. My feed on facebook is filled with posts of protestors standing outside courthouses in my town and the neighbouring towns. Just let them be married. They have the same right that we do.

There are few major topics that I’m very vocal about. Equality for woman is one. The marriage of gays is another and then animal rights. I’m sorry if I ever offend anyone with posts I do on these topics but they’re all very near and dear to my heart. And the celebrities that use their fame to help these causes make me so happy.

You tell em' Zac Efrom! I have this shirt as well. Fck8.com

But my most favorite gay person in the whole wide world?!
ELLEN.

I am Catholic. I don’t always agree with their ways but it’s what I was raised as. This man has made me proud to be that once again. God bless him and his unconventional ways.

And one final thing, there is a campaign “spread the word to stop the word” which is reference to the word “retarded”. A word you will never hear me use unless for something like this. But when I see people who are so adamant upon people not using that word and then yelling “this is so gay” I literally want to punch them in the throat. THERE ARE A MILLION OTHER WORDS TO USE.

“No freedom till we’re equal. Damn right I support it.” -Same Love by Macklemore
(I hope this song is a stuck in your head as it is mine after reading this. As soon as I hear the first notes of that piano in this song I get chills. Such a powerful song.)